Today was the second day of the Killarney Classic. Light SE winds were forecasted and a 67k task was set that would take us through a number of valleys and into the Great Dividing Range. I launched nearly first and took a boomer of a climb to 7000 ft. A few others accompanied me on this climb and we were able to establish ourselves high above the rest of the pilots that had launched after us. At this time we still had an hour to kill before to start of the race. During this time I hopped from the top of one gaggle to another maintaining my altitude and position above most of the other pilots. In the beginning of this period the climbs were strong, but as a high cloud layer moved in and shaded the ground the thermals weakened. For the last half hour before the start I managed to maintain my position; during this time many pilots got low and many had to land. Ten minutes before the start I transitioned to the top of the only high group of pilots. Coming in to this thermal just above all the other pilots put me in perfect position for the start.

Eight pilots and myself stayed high by working weak lift just before the start. When 1:45 came the race began but no one took off down the course line. Given the weak conditions and the prevalence of shade each pilot in our group waited for others to move down the course line and mark some lift. Eventually a few pilots made the move and I was quick to follow. We had a strong wind at our backs and were achieving speeds of 60 kmh flying at trim speed. We flew over one valley system and into another were we got stuck in weak climbs that we had to work for 30 minutes. Circling in zeroes or super weak lift was our only option as we drifted downwind. Eventually a number of pilots flew over the high ridge and into the next valley. Here I met up with Meredith and we, ahead of all the others, worked weak climbs to try and fly as far as possible. The ground had been shaded for nearly an hour and there were no thermals to climb in. We eventually went on final glide downwind and landed a few hundred meters apart.

I landed in a lovely cow pasture and was quickly greeted by 100 or so curious cows. After a quick chat with the ladies to ensure them that I meant them no harm and that I was surely not an appropriate suitor for any of them I was then able to pack my glider and walk to the road. Though we only flew 33 k and landed 28k from goal, this was apparently quite good for the day. Meredith finished 3rd for the day and I finished 4th respectively.

After landing we were quickly picked up by out trusty Canadian driver Alex. We then went on the complicated mission to find our fried and fellow competitor Brian Webb. On this journey we drove past the biggest snake I have ever seen!!! This is no joke this guy was a monster stretching 7-8ft in length. He was on the road so we stopped for a quick photo. He looked like some sort of constrictor, like a python but who knows. Most of the snakes in Australia are poisonous so I treated him as such.

In the end the day was fabulous. We had great flying, wildlife viewing, and amazing scenery the whole time. The Killarney area is simply beautiful. I will take some pictures of the area soon. I was expecting the flying to be super full on today as it was yesterday so I didn’t fly with the camera; in hindsight I really wish I had, this flight took me over some of the most beautiful scenery I have very seen from the air. The Killarney area is quite different from Manilla, it is one the edge of a mountain plateau; the woods here are jungle and the fields are a rich green.